A Sliver for Fishing

I have a drainage pond one house down from me and I can see it from my deck.  There is a sliver of open water at the edge of the pond and a great blue heron is taking advantage of that little bit of water to fish.

It is hard to believe that there are actually fish in this pond.  It doesn't attach to other lakes, but I know there are at least bullheads in it.  There may be a frog or two too.

Ducks are also drawn to this pond when it is open.  I see mallards, wood ducks and hooded mergansers regularly.  Occasionally, I have seen scaup, blue-winged teal and a lone bufflehead.

It is amazing the kinds of wildlife this little bit of water can attract to my neighborhood.  I am so thankful.

The Real Harbinger of Spring in My Backyard

Many think the American Robin is the first sign of spring, but since I have had them visit sporadically throughout the winter, this isn't the case for me.

My true spring harbinger is the Red-winged Blackbird.  This bird tends to be quite reliable in bringing excitement when it first wheels into my feeding area in March.

My husband and I look for it in its glory around St. Patrick's Day.  This year it was a bit late.  A few people around Minnesota spotted it sooner, but our quartet showed up at our neighbor's feeder on March 22.

The harsh winter has definitely thrown them off a bit, but we forgive them.  Let the spring procession begin!

Replacing Frustration with Action

Lately I've been feeling a little down.  Gee, do you think it might be the weather? Maybe, but it doesn't help when a colleague announces at a meeting that he has just published a book on a subject near and dear to my heart -- a photographic book on eagles.

Also dragging on me is that I submitted proposals to three work-for-hire publishers and haven't heard a peep. Seems that's the story of my life.

Then I read an article by John Green about the girl, Esther, that inspired his book The Fault in Our Stars.

The article kicked me in the butt and made me realize there are people out there with much bigger problems than my pity party topics.  My life goes on and I must keep trying and fighting like Esther and there's a chance some day my writing will be recognized.  I will continue write and submit.  Onward....

P.S. spring is finally coming and so are the birds!

The Most Snow of the Season

We just had the most snow ever for the season here in Minnesota.  The roads haven't been this bad in 25 years.

The temperature is colder again and cabin fever continues to loom.  As the days lengthen though, the birds don't seem to care about the weather and continue to behave like spring is coming.

I had a flock of American robins at my heated bird bath and the Northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees are beginning to sing. The great horned owls are hooting and I suspect they are getting ready to hatch their eggs any day.

Speaking of eggs, we have a crazy bald eagle pair nesting somewhere in St. Paul that is sitting on two eggs. This is early for eagles with eggs in this neck-of-the-woods.  We know this because the MN DNR put a web cam on this nest.  They can be viewed at: www.eaglecam.dnr.state.mn.us/eagle/

The poor female is up to her neck in snow. Yikes!

As the temperature continues to hover near freezing, March will arrive in Minnesota like a lion and we can only hope it will leave like a lamb.

Love is in the Air

When I stepped outside this morning I thought the temperature felt a little warmer.  A few birds were singing and the crows sounded like they were haranguing something.  Sure enough, I stepped sideways to get a better look and there sat a pair of red-tailed hawks side by side in a tree.

This is the time of year red-tailed hawks start their courtship and soon the females will lay eggs.

There is a power line right-of-away and a drainage pond a house away from me and I'll be delighted if the red-tailed hawks choose to nest there.

I tried to get a photo of the two love birds together, but a low-flying helicopter chased one off.  Oh well, they were a bit of a day brightener and a small break from cabin fever.

It's hard to believe it was actually a five degrees below zero morning when I looked at my thermometer.

Here is one of the red-tailed hawks that frequently sits on the power pole in that right-of-way.

Ebooks

I admit it.  I am addicted to ebooks and audio books.  That is why I am remiss at blogging regularly.  Within the last three months or so I discovered my local libraries have a treasure trove of audio and ebooks.  This has allowed me to read some of the popular young adult novels out there.

I continue to hear as a writer you need to read, read, read, so that is what I have been doing.  I've had the perfect opportunity since the weather is so frigid lately.

I did drag myself out to an SCBWI mixer for a little inspiration last weekend, but it's been hard to pull my butt out of the reading groove and get it into the writing groove. 

My goal this year is to try to break into work-for-hire.  I have been thinking about it for the last few years, but I just can't get my intro letter right.  That might just be an excuse though.

Off to read an ebook about writing and publishing non-fiction ....

A Trickle of Spring?

I think a lot of people feel the same as I do.  Enough of the frigid weather already!

A little glimmer of spring is hearing the first spring-song of the Black-capped Chickadee.  You may have heard the sound, but weren't sure you were even hearing a bird.

The song has two notes.  It sounds like "sweet - ee, sweet - ee"  Both the male and the female sing this song and will sometimes sing a duet.

I heard this song the other day and it lifted my spirits.  We will also soon hear from the Northern Cardinal.

Now days we can't depend on the American Robin as the harbinger of spring, because many are remaining far north, even in this crazy weather.  Last week I saw one on my heated bird bath here in Minnesota.

Go figure....Keep warm!!!!